Plan moves forward for top floor of Carriage City

The top floor of Sky View at Carriage City Plaza will be renovated into 20 mostly one-bedroom apartments this year after the Planning Board granted a parking variance last week.

Under the revised redevelopment plan, approved by City Council last month, residential units within the downtown redevelopment area are required to provide 1.25 parking spaces while the previous plan required one per unit. The project already had been approved for an additional seven units units on the 17th floor — for a total 232 units in the building — but a parking variance was needed since seven units now would require nine parking spaces.

The 17th floor has been unoccupied and used as a staging area for materials that were supposed to be built as part of what was planned to be a penthouse level of two- and three-bedroom units, according to architect Greg Waga of Rahway-based Waga Enterprises. Instead, 20 rental units will be built (18 one-bedrooms and two two-bedrooms), along with amenities for residents only: a fitness center, WiFi library, and club room. Waga anticipates construction will begin around Memorial Day and continue into the fall.

Sky View’s owner has found that one- and two-bedroom units, ranging room 800 to 1,100 square feet, are very marketable in this area, Waga said, and the new design is more functional and a better use of the space. About 60 units of Sky View are owner occupied and the remaining 152 are rental units, which range in occupancy from 75 percent (114 units) to 85 percent (174), he said, adding that the leasing agent has a goal of reaching 85 percent this spring.

Given the location and transit-oriented development, a mitigating factor is that the plan offers fewer but larger units, said Paul Phillips, planner to the Planning Board, adding that nearly all of the 20 additional units being one-bedrooms lowers the parking demand.

Attorney Christopher Armstrong presented a letter from the Parking Authority indicating they were satisfied with seven spaces. A daily count in the Lewis Street parking deck by the Parking Authority reveals an average of 246 vehicles, less than half of the 524-space capacity, he said, with uncovered portions of the deck sometimes being closed. There are a fair number of Sky View residents that do not have cars, which is part of the reason why the building was built where it was built, Armstrong told the Planning Board.

Is that speculation and conjecture or based on any fact?When I asked about that last summer (see link below), building manager said there are no Section 8 tenants at Sky View, though they could not discriminate against them anyway, and Section 8 tenants likely couldn't afford the units, even with the subsidy.http://www.rahwayrising.com/2012/07/update-on-sky-view-at-carriage-city.html

There are no Section 8 vouchers at Skyview. You don't understand how the Section 8 Program works. The government sets rent limits and people can use a voucher to pay a portion of the rent. However, the maximum rent allowed for a one bedroom is $1007; Skyview's one bedrooms range between $1500 and $1600 and would not be eligible under the program. In addition, there are very few Section 8 vouchers available. In fact they do not even accept applications because the waiting list is so long. With that being said, Section 8 is a program to help individuals afford a decent apartment without having to move into a low-income housing project.I wish people would spreading mis-information.

"Defening the Mutts"? Just asking a valid question for a source of information. As I've told you before, if you don't like my website, no one's forcing you to visit so feel free to avoid it.Thanks for the clarification gmsmith1981.